Scott F

I don’t do many road trips anymore, but I quit going south (from the Chicago area) several years ago. There were just too many fishermen and too few fish. Going north, there are so many lakes it spreads out the fishing pressure and there aren’t many bass fishermen. Big bass aren’t as big as their southern cousins but there are significantly more fish to be caught. I also like the availability of on the water accommodations where you park your boat right behind your cabin. You only launch your boat just once for your entire stay unless you want to fish multiple bodies of water. The water level fluctuations of reservoirs mean on the water lodging is nearly nonexistent. The season is shorter up north, but you can fish in comfort all day as summers there are much cooler.

I never use a mono or fc leader for any technique. I don’t fish a drop shot a lot but I spent a week in the fall using one every day. I’ve never had a circumstance where I had an issue that would have been better if I’d been using a leader.

I’ve got an iPhone 15 Pro Max and although they are waterproof, if it falls overboard in 10 feet of water, it’s good as lost. That’s not a risk I’m willing to take for a fish picture. That camera I posted about above takes great fish pictures and if I lose it over the side, it’s not such a major loss.

Which free streaming service do you use? To get the channels I actually want to watch along with local channels, I have to pay.

For the most part, losing a fish I was just going to let go anyway doesn’t bother me much. Part of the excitement in catching big smallmouth is knowing that you aren’t going to land 100% of them, no matter what you do. One fish that still has me angry was a big pike that I caught while fishing with a native guide on Great Slave Lake in the NWT of Canada. Early on, I got my first big pike of the trip and the guide was trying to bring my fish in the boat. With a leather glove on, he stuck his fingers in the eye sockets of the big fish, which unsurprisingly, the fish didn’t like. He quickly spun out of the weak grip the guide had on him, and was gone. I never let the “guide” touch another fish I caught the rest of the week. I never lost another fish due to landing them on that trip.

Boat registration is $25/year. Registration for the trailer for a year is $109

I’ve gotten rid of most of my vinyl. I was there and had a huge collection back in the day. I don’t believe the current vinyl fad will stick around. People will realize that and the nostalgia will wear off. They’ll go back to digital streaming. Vinyl are a pain to deal with and do not sound better, especially on the junk equipment most people use to play them on. Think analog sounds better than digital? If the record was manufactured after the year 2000, it was made from a digital recording. The only thing about records that’s better is the packaging.

Take the time to get an accurate measurement. A motor that is too long will work, but if you run in shallow water, the head will be so high it will be in your way. I had two boats and would move my Terrova trolling motor between boats. It was too long for my 16’x48” jon boat. The front deck on the boat wasn’t huge and the motor head sticking up always bothered me.

What makes trolling unethical? Because it’s not allowed in bass tournaments? Walleye and Muskie tournaments allow it.

I don’t do it often, but one lake I fish has a few big weedy flats that I’ll drift over and cast. If the wind isn’t blowing, I’ll troll the flats to cover more water faster. It’s been an effective way to catch ‘em.

If the reports are true, he was let go over not agreeing to a new contract. Seems like Jerry Jones would have kept him if MMc had agreed to the new contract offer. Maybe, McCarthy got mad because the Cowboys wouldn’t let him talk to other teams. The Bears could benefit from hiring a coach with so much experience over the untested guys they’ve been hiring.

Back in the late 80’s, a friend took me out on his 16’ tin boat on a couple of fishing trips. I didn’t like having to stay home because he wasn’t available to go fishing. I went to a boat show that winter and put money down on a 16’ aluminum boat with a console. I don’t even remember what brand it was. We were about to leave the show and was walking past a Ranger dealers display. I told my wife if I could afford it, I really wanted a Ranger. While I was admiring the boat in front of me, I saw the price was only $500 more than the boat I put money down on. I went back, got my money back from the first dealer then ordered a 1988 Ranger Fisherman. 17’ with an 80hp Mercury. 37 years later that Ranger is still in my garage. I’ve towed it to 10 states and Canada, it’s had 2 engines, 4 trolling motors, 8 depth finders. I’ve caught more smallmouth and largemouth than I could ever count and every other kind of fish that swims in Midwest fresh water.

Musky lures are designed to catch muskies. Bass lures are designed to catch fishermen.

I’d be curious as to the accuracy of the specs on the cheap batteries. I use DeWalt cordless power tools and their batteries are pretty expensive. I’ve watched testing comparisons of cheap batteries with the DeWalt and none of the cheap ones last nearly as long as the OEMs do. I’d be very surprised if the cheap trolling motor batteries actually meet the publish specs.

I have no need to go 0-60 in under 6 seconds. My next car will be an EV, but not until the next generation of battteries that cost less, charge faster and have longer range are the norm. I can wait.